Amlendu Bhushan Khan / New Delhi : The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, has said that they would need India’s help in keeping an eye on Pakistan. Pakistan raises objection with US over India’s greater role in Afghanistan
Haley’s statements come a few days after India slammed Pakistan Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, calling the nation “Terroristan — with a flourishing industry producing and exporting global terrorism.”
Pakistan has been accused of terrorism by several countries, including the United States. Moreover, with a member of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) of Pakistan accusing his own organisation of protecting terrorists, the US had decided to leg up in the fight against terrorism in Pakistan.
“America’s overriding interests in Afghanistan and throughout South Asia are to eliminate terrorist safe havens that threaten us. And to keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists, we will use all the elements of our national power economic diplomatic and military to pursue these goals,” Haley said.
She also added that India’s involvement was being taken into consideration as Trump has taken a “tougher approach to Pakistan harbouring terrorists.”
“Pakistan has been a partner to the US at times. We value and respect that. But we cannot tolerate this government or any other government giving safe haven to terrorists who target Americans. This new approach will require understanding and restraint from both Pakistan and India,” Haley added.
According to Haley, the US is also looking towards India for help especially in Afghanistan’s economic development, as India has already made important contributions to the stability of Afghanistan.
“We are really going to need India’s help in Afghanistan. They are the good neighbours and partner that we have in the region. So having them helps not only with infrastructure and the aid that they can give towards rebuilding Afghanistan, ” Haley said.
She also added that besides assisting in Afghanistan’s development, India will also keep a vigil on Pakistan. “India can also help us to keep an eye on Pakistan,” she said.
“That is going to be really important in making sure that we hold them accountable because we are at a point where we kind of laid the groundwork that we need to see better partnership from Pakistan. India is going to help us with that,” Haley added.
Coincidentally, India would rather be happy to join the fight against terrorism in Pakistan as it has always thought along the same lines as the US.
India has always tried to identify the militant forces in Pakistan and Afghanistan on the global front and even blacklisted Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar.
In fact, the naming of a few militant groups in Pakistan — Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Hizb-ut-Tahrirmed — at BRICS Summit had come as a victory to India.
Haley also praised India’s democracy while stating that Trump is strictly against Iran’s nuclear power. “It would be catastrophic for the safety of Americans and the world if Iran became a nuclear power. But India is a nuclear power and nobody gives it a second thought. Why? Because India is a democracy that threatens no one,” Haley said.
